So this past March I was on an Outward Bound course in Linville Gorge. A few days into the trip, with a few days to go, we waded across the Linville River. At this point, we filled up our personal water bottles (approx. 2 liters per person). Someone on our crew suggested that we fill our crew jugs (several gallon-sized jugs of water) while we were at the river. The instructors, however, demurred, saying that there were water sources near the top of the ridge we'd be traveling for the rest of the course. We, being but silly schmucks, believed them.

So towards the end of that day, it was getting dark and we were setting up our tarps for the night. Noting that our leaders had promised that water would be available early the next day, we used most of our supply to cook our dinner (which was macaroni and cheese, by the way). We were content.

The next morning, we broke camp, downed what remained of our water, and headed off down the trail to find the water source. It was nowhere to be found. To shorten a long story somewhat, we saw no more liquid water until we reached the base camp, 3 days later. We spent three days eating icicles to avoid dehydration. And while icicles are not all that tasty after all, well, it's better than dying.